


When the Final Page Ends

by CaptainPiika



Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Can be romantic or platonic, Lots of characters show up but not long enough to get tagged, M/M, No Beta We Die Like [insert elf here], Pre-Canon, The Golden Dawn - Freeform, William is a Patry enabler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:15:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23226937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainPiika/pseuds/CaptainPiika
Summary: William thought, if he tried hard enough, then maybe, just maybe, the sleepy voice inside his head could be his friend. Patry thought, if he tried hard enough, he could carry out Licht's mission and save every elf who died that day.William thought that Patry deserved to be happy, and he would do whatever it took to make that happen.
Relationships: Patolli | Patri & William Vangeance, Patolli | Patri/William Vangeance
Comments: 9
Kudos: 41





	When the Final Page Ends

**Author's Note:**

> I worked on this for two days straight and I am NOT sorry
> 
> I'm not very good at chaptered fic, but I had a lot of headcanons about Patry and William at various points pre-series so I decided to mash 'em all up into one big oneshot. I'm pretty happy with it, and considering the devastating lack of fic for these two, I'm happy to contribute my pieces. I'll probably end up with even more down the line, I love Patry so much.
> 
> Title from Studio Yuraki's cover of JUSTadICE. Manga canon (and official manga translation names), though I might've fudged the timeline a bit because it can be a little vague. Bear with me, I have a goldfish's memory but I tried my best!

When Will was nine, he heard it.

 _Vengeance._  
  
Will almost fell out of his tree.  
  
"It's Vangeance," he whispered, so quiet that his throat barely vibrated.  
  
There was an overwhelming, dizzying confusion. Will felt himself slipping off the branch again, but he shot his hands forward to grip the bark. He winced, feeling the rugged edges poke at the sensitive skin in between his fingers.  
  
 _No_ , the thought persisted. _Vengeance. It’s vengeance._  
  
And then, as quick as it came, the thought was gone.

That night, Will dreamt of another life.

It was foggy, and the details slipped away from him the more he tried to hang on. He caught little glimpses, someone’s laughter, a whiff of something delicious. He could see the flickering faces of people, people he was certain he’d never seen before, all with light hair and pointed ears. They were kind faces, much, much kinder than his foster mother and his father. He couldn’t remember any names, just light. They were good, they were light.

They were good and light, and then they were burning, and dead. _How dare you. How dare you how dare you howdareyou howdareyou howdareyouhowdareyouhOWDAREYOU_

Something sharp cleaved through his heart, and he died.

Will woke up in a cold sweat. His hands gripped at his bedsheets, and his nightshirt clung in a sticky, uncomfortable wrinkle on his back.

“I’m sorry,” Will whispered, feeling tears bubble up past his eyes to soak his pillow. “I’m so sorry, Vengeance.”

There was something, a lingering tickle of the dream. Will felt it tap lightly at the back of his head, so he focused on it.

 _Patry_. The voice in Will’s head wasn’t his, it was someone else.

“Patry?” Will sniffed, wiping his nose.

 _Patry._ Will nodded, and yawned. _Sleepy._

“You should go to bed, if you’re tired,” Will said.

Will nodded again, and his eyes fluttered closed. The voice tapping at the back of his head disappeared, but Will was still awake.

Will wanted to cry. He felt— He didn’t know how to feel. Happy, maybe, that the person he knew had always been there, the other mind who’d emerge in scattered moments with flashes of anger, hurt, and pain was real, and there, and safe within him. Sad, probably, because that person – Patry, Will thought – had suffered, long before Will could do anything to help him. Happy – so, so happy – that Patry had a name, and a voice, and that maybe if Will tried hard enough, they could talk, and be friends. And then neither of them would have to be helpless, and scared, and alone.

Will hugged his arms around himself and smiled. “I’m here. It’s okay now.”

Will hoped, that if Patry was dreaming, he woke up before the end this time.

* * *

Will was thirteen when he heard it again. Patry’s voice.

 _Die_. The thought was lazy and barely conscious, but it made Will narrow his eyes at Julius Novachrono’s retreating figure, just before he disappeared beyond the horizon.

“Why?” Will frowned. “He was so nice.”

Patry didn’t respond with any words, just a grumble. Will felt him drifting.

“Wait!” Will gripped the mask in his hands tighter. “Don’t leave—”

It was too late. Patry was gone again.

That night, Will thought, the dream he shared with Patry seemed a lot more vivid.

* * *

When William was sixteen, he woke up, and his eyes lingered on the mask at his bedside table longer than usual.

 _Tacky_ , came a thought. William had thought the same before, but this time, something in his gut told him the thought wasn’t his.

So, he reached out.

“It really is,” William muttered. “Don’t you think?”

 _Get a new one_ , the thought rumbled through what felt like a yawn, even if William’s mouth didn’t move.

“No, I don’t think I can. It’s too important to me.” William sat up. He felt Patry’s presence fading, so he tried the first thing he could think of, which was to visualize himself grabbing onto Patry’s fuzzy, half-asleep voice.

His arm lunged forward, and William felt a tangible prickle of mana surge through his fingers.

 _What?_ A jolt coursed through him. Patry was definitely awake now.

“H-hey,” William said, breathless. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. “G’morning.”

Patry’s presence zipped away from his fingers, far away into the darkest corner of William’s mind. He didn’t answer William when he called.

* * *

William found himself deep within a forest in the middle of the night, flipping through an unfamiliar grimoire with spells that definitely weren’t his.

 _Bright Judgement Whip,_ William thought. _Is that your spell, Patry?_

Patry’s outstretched arm froze, and the light magic in front of him fizzled out.

“It is,” Patry said. His voice didn’t sound like how it had in William’s head, rather, it sounded like William’s, lain with a low heat that barely masked its rage. “You can’t stop me, human.”

 _I wasn’t going to_ , William thought. Part of him couldn’t help but be giddy that he was actually talking to Patry. The other part of him was scrambling to help, to heal, to make things better. _It’s your body, too. If you want to practice your magic, I don’t mind._

Patry stumbled. William felt his breath suck in as he stepped backwards, catching himself on a tree. “You don’t mind,” Patry said.

_Right._

“This should make you _angry_.” Patry lashed out a whip of light magic again, striking a tree branch. “This should make you hate, and scream. If I woke up and noticed someone else puppeteering me around, I’d—”

 _No, it’s only fair. I’ve gotten to use it this whole time, but you’ve been around just as long. I know you’re a good person. You deserve to be in control, too._ William had a sudden, striking realization. _Unless— Have you always been in control, when I’m asleep?_

“Always…?” Patry grabbed a fistful of grass and threw it into the air. He lashed his light whip, striking every blade before it could hit the ground. “No.”

Images flashed in William’s mind, and William realized Patry was trying to remember something. William caught onto a flash, the memory of a calendar, and kept it lingering long enough to read it.

 _December 24 th_, William thought. _My birthday. That was two months ago._

 _My_ _birthday_ , Patry thought. William felt a flicker of his irritation, like a wisp of steam that had escaped from under the lid of a simmering, boiling pot. Their lip curled.

 _Our birthday._ William tried his best to push a sense of goodwill onto Patry. _I’m glad you’ve woken up_. _I’ve seen your dreams. It can’t have been good to dream about that day all this time._

“…Stop talking,” Patry said.

William complied, but Patry couldn’t stop William from forming a smile on their lips.

* * *

Patry saw the next candidate to become the wizard king and sneered.

“…doing great work, William, are you all right?”

William reset their face to the controlled, vacant smile he used to use around his foster mother. “Yes, Master Julius.”

William excused himself and strode down the hallways of the Gray Deer headquarters, finally hiding in the safety of the nearest bathroom.

“What was that about?” William waited, but there was no answer. “Patry?”

 _Royals,_ Patry seethed. William felt their ears grow hot. _Humans are scum, but the royals are just monsters wearing masks._

William frowned, touching his own mask out of habit. “But Master Julius isn’t…” He cleared their throat. It was probably better if nobody overheard him talking to himself in the bathroom. _King Clover is one thing. The Silvas and the Vermillions can be bigoted, too, I know. But Julius…_

 _I shouldn’t have to explain,_ Patry’s voice prickled at the front of their mind, making William scrunch up their nose. _You know what happened. You’ve seen it._

The burning, the blood, the death. William could see it and hear it, and almost smell it this time. _I have._

 _So figure it out,_ Patry spat. _The reason all of that happened was because of—_

“The wizard king.” William cringed. _But that wasn’t Julius, back then—_

 _I don’t care. He’s still a symbol. Humanity’s saviour._ Patry stared at their reflection in the bathroom mirror. Their face was in shadow from the mask, but their eyes had changed from a soft lavender to a brilliant gold.

_He’s an obstacle in my way. All humans are._

_All humans?_ William stared at the mirror, at Patry. _Even me?_

Patry curled their fingers along the edge of the sink.

 _That depends._ Patry swallowed their saliva. _You can’t stop me. Are you going to try, anyway?_

_What are you going to do?_

_I’m going to save them. All of them._ Flashes of hundreds of faces and voices blindsided William and made their head hurt. _I’m the only one who can do it. Licht chose me._

William remembered the warmth, the light from the first dream all those years ago. He summoned his courage and reached out; he couldn’t touch Patry, not really, but at the very least, he could let Patry know he was _there_ , and that he was safe, and that it would be okay.

He took control of their right hand, loosening their grip on the sink. He placed it on top of their left, and squeezed.

_I’ll help you._

Patry’s – no, their shared heart – skipped a beat.

 _You’ll die, human,_ Patry thought. _You, and your Gray Deer, and your precious Master Julius._

_I understand._

Patry couldn’t. William could feel him struggle to comprehend William’s emotions, and frankly, William wasn’t sure he fully understood himself, either, but he kept going.

 _I made a promise to myself,_ William thought. _I promised to protect you. I just… I want you to stop hurting._

William stared at their reflection, and watched their eyes turn to lavender once again.

 _I want you to be happy, Patry_.

A laugh bubbled out of their throat, breathless, disbelieving.

“I must be the luckiest elf who lived,” Patry said, voice low. He smiled at the mirror.

“You’re an odd one, William. Are you sure you’re human?”

* * *

William woke up to a strange man sleeping in a wooden chair in his bedroom.

 _Patry,_ he prodded. No answer. William gripped his sheets. All right, then.

William got out of bed, readied his grimoire, and cast a spell, tangling the intruder in a knot of tree roots.

“Gagh!” The man coughed. One of his arms flailed out, clutching at the root constricting his chest. His other limbs were immobilized. “D’you mind?”

William narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing in my room?”

The man coughed again, looking up to meet William’s gaze. There was a curled, red design printed across his cheek. “Huh. I thought I was rooming with Licht, not a human.”

William frowned. “Licht? But he’s—”

Patry wrenched control of their body from William. William’s spell vanished, fading to nothing as William tried his best to hold onto consciousness enough to remain present. William’s grimoire fell to the floor with a thud.

“My apologies, Raia.” Patry’s voice was slow and measured, barely sounding like himself or William. William felt their hair grow long and brush the back of their neck.

Raia scrutinized them. “That’s interesting.” He pointed a thumb towards himself. “Pretty sure you reduced the other guy in here to a mindless mush for me. Why’s yours allowed to come out?”

“It’s more convenient, for the time being.” Patry smiled William’s fake smile.

William felt a plunging, horrible sense of dread. Patry kept smiling.

 _I told you humans would die,_ Patry thought.

“Right…” Raia stood up, brushing off his robes. “Remember, Licht, I don’t have a grimoire to defend myself with. If you hadn’t stepped in…”

“I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” Patry crinkled their eyes, and their fake smile felt a little more real. “We’ll get you a grimoire right away, once the humans are all out on their business.”

Raia shrugged, and fell back into the wooden chair with a yawn. Patry took the opportunity to get dressed.

 _You killed someone,_ William thought.

 _A life for a life,_ Patry replied, buttoning William’s shirt.

If William was in control of their body, he might’ve felt sick. _Why… Why did you choose him?_ Patry paused. _To trade for your friend, I mean_.

 _His eyes reminded me of Raia’s_ , Patry thought after a moment. He pulled on some socks. _Also, he was a con artist. I watched him cheat a bunch of humans out of their money, yesterday._

_So con artists deserve to die?_

_Would you feel better if I had picked someone at random?_ Patry seemed genuinely curious.

 _I don’t know,_ William thought.

Patry hummed a short tune William fleetingly remembered from their dreams. He donned William’s Gray Deer Robes, frowning at them.

 _Raia called you Licht,_ William tried after a few minutes of silence.

 _He did._ Patry refused to elaborate.

Patry relinquished control over their body. William felt their hair shoot back into their skull, returning to its familiar length. He ran a hand through it.

_Do you want me to call you Licht, too?_

William fastened his mask. Patry stayed silent. Just when William thought Patry had fallen asleep, he replied.

 _Around Raia, yes,_ Patry thought. _You don’t have to when we’re alone._

* * *

Patry often sat out matters dealing with the magic knights. William couldn’t blame him; Patry’s negative emotions, though muted through the barrier of William’s own soul, were strong enough to make him slightly nauseous whenever someone mentioned the royal family or the wizard king. The unpleasantries had only gotten more frequent with William’s promotion to squad captain. Eventually, Patry took to sleeping through almost every meeting and event that William had to attend as a captain, and relied on William filling him in on anything pertinent he may have missed.

That was why, when Patry spoke during William’s first magic knight exam heading the Golden Dawn, William had to bite back a gasp.

 _Compass magic_. Patry directed their eyes to a long-haired girl with glasses.

 _Yes_ , William thought. _Interesting attribute. I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do with it._

 _I’ve seen it before_. Patry curled their right hand into a clenched fist. _That woman… Kivn. She… She would harvest fruit to share with us. She got along well with my mother._

With the name, a face and a memory flashed in their mind. Patry’s mother welcoming a teen girl into their home with open arms, the girl, Kivn, returning the embrace while almost dropping her basket of apples. Another flash, and she was sitting at the table, smiling warmly and using her compass needles to etch and carve apple slices to resemble little animals. Patry picked up an apple bunny, bouncing it across the table, with added sound effects. Kivn laughed, and the faint voice of Patry’s mother called out to chastise them for playing with their food.

Another flash, and everything was red. Their ears were filled with noise, screaming people, the crackling of fire, the sharp, almost metallic sound of the destructive magic raining from the sky. Patry reached out, for anyone, anything, to hold onto. No one else on the ground was moving. None of the countless bodies around them were moving.

Kivn, several meters away, ten years older in a bloodstained dress, lay unmoving.

William felt their eyes burn.

 _It’s all right_ , William thought. _Patry. I understand_.

 _Why does she look exactly like her?_ Patry’s tears streaked down their face, and William was once again thankful for the mask Julius had given him. _William, you don’t think—?_

 _You tell me, Patry._ William wiped at their cheek before a tear could roll beyond the edge of his mask. _Do you feel her presence in that body?_

Patry paused. _…No. There are… a few souls around,_ Patry flicked their eyes towards the sky, _but not with her. I don’t feel Kivn._

William frowned.

 _What do you want to do, then?_ William wiped at their other cheek. He wished, more than ever, that he could give Patry a hug.

 _I’m the only one who came back_. Patry’s entire being shook, and William clenched their fists to keep from visibly shaking. _That body belongs to Kivn. I know it does._

 _If that’s the case… we should keep an eye on her, shouldn’t we?_ William felt their hands relax

 _Yes. Yes, you understand._ For a moment, Patry’s rage seemed to lessen. _Thank you, William._ Patry’s presence faded as his soul returned to its slumber.

At the end of the exam, William Vangeance offered Letoile Becquerel a place in the Golden Dawn.

* * *

Langris Vaude was so skilled, he superseded the need to take the exam and applied to join the Golden Dawn directly. The recognition lit up Patry’s soul, not with sorrow, but delight.

 _Latry!_ Patry’s inner voice was suddenly youthful and boisterous, far removed from his usual measured rage.

 _Latry?_ William asked, trying not to let the fact that he was conversing with someone else while listening to Langris show on their face. _Patry, with an L?_

 _He’s my cousin_. Patry made their mouth curl into a smile. William nodded his head to make it seem more natural. _He looks just like him. Is his magic—?_

“Would you mind demonstrating some spells, Langris?” William asked.

Langris smirked. “Of course, but we should probably step outside your office.”

They made their way to the Golden Dawn’s courtyard, Patry bubbly the whole way. William wanted nothing more than to nurture the rare positive feelings, so he poked, letting Patry’s happiness fill them.

 _I’m older than him now._ Patry’s voice seemed breathless. _Him, and Kivn, now I’m—_

Langris barely used his grimoire, instead opting to show off his raw power with wordless, unnamed spells. With a flick of his wrist, he removed the top half of a tree in an instant. William felt a tinge of regret for his courtyard garden before Patry’s thoughts distracted him again.

 _Latry would be so jealous of my four leaf_. Their smile went too wide. Langris took it as a signal to destroy more plant life. _He will be so jealous of my four leaf. If anything can beat spatial magic, it’s—_

_Light?_

_Yeah,_ Patry thought. He cleared their throat. _Yes. William. We’re taking him._

“Welcome to the Golden Dawn, Langris Vaude,” William said. He made a note to replant some trees when he got the chance.

* * *

_Since there are humans who look exactly like the people I used to know…_ Patry trailed off.

William held back, letting his junior magic knights walk ahead of him. _Yes?_

Patry seemed to squirm uncomfortably. _Raia might be in the wrong body._

William kept walking. _Hmm._

 _Not that there’s anything to be done about it,_ Patry thought. _He’s been bound to that body for years now._

 _Is he upset with you?_ William asked.

 _Raia, upset with Licht?_ Patry laughed internally. _Never._

 _Vetto, then?_ William glanced towards the forest, wondering if he’d glimpse any animals. He didn’t.

 _Vetto was never quite that bulky, but his new body suits him,_ Patry thought.

 _Then what is it?_ William would give anything to put a stopper in Patry’s unease.

 _There was another one I tried, around the same time as Vetto,_ Patry thought. _She’s been floating in the mana around us for a while. I’m not sure how lucid she is. But she didn’t take to the body I found. I wasn’t sure why, but now…_

 _There might be a better option out there for her._ William smiled at Alecdora Sandler, one of the junior knights who turned around to check on him.

 _I’ll need to go looking._ Patry hesitated. _Can you afford to take some time off?_

 _How long?_ William waved off Alecdora, who seemed to pout at being ignored.

 _Maybe a month._ Patry focused their eyes on a blank spot in the sky. _She seems restless. I think she might actually know where to look._

 _Okay,_ William thought.

 _I’ll get you back before anyone gets too suspicious,_ Patry thought. A beat. _Oh, you agreed already?_

 _I trust you,_ William thought. Their fingers twitched.

 _Hmm._ The back of their neck prickled.

 _I trust all my friends,_ William added.

 _I know,_ Patry snapped. _That’s— Right. Good._ Patry turned their focus back to Alecdora. _You should give your new dog some attention. He looks like he’ll chew up the table if you don’t notice him soon._

It was hard not to laugh.

* * *

Luck Voltia broke three of his opponent’s limbs, four ribs, and five fingers in total, all with a smile on his face. His opponent coughed up blood, barely clinging to life. For the first time, Patry backtracked. _This one seems like a bad idea_.

 _Are you sure?_ William felt Patry’s pride bruise, and he regretted it immediately. _I… agree that he may present some problems, but his sheer power is impressive._

William watched the medical team swoop in on the sorry soul unlucky enough to be Luck’s magic knight exam opponent. One of the nurses broke away from assessing the injuries to berate Luck for his brutality, but Luck’s wide grin remained plastered on his face.

 _I didn’t know him all that well,_ Patry admitted. _Rufel, I mean. I’m not even sure if I…_

There was a flash of a boy with big eyes and a too-wide smile greeting Patry, but nothing else. William fished, but he didn’t get the sense that Patry was trying to hide anything.

 _Was he a bad person?_ William hesitated, leaving certain thoughts unsaid, but Patry picked up on his intent anyway.

 _Of course not. None of us were. We all deserve to return_. Patry’s contemplating weighed on William’s shoulders like a physical presence. _But… perhaps some of us can return under other squads. It may be more valuable to spread out a little._

William wasn’t sure how the other squads factored into Patry’s plans. He’d never been privy to the exact details. _If you think that’s for the best, I’m sure someone else will offer._

 _Yes, I think so too,_ Patry thought. William felt a prodding sense of assurance.

The combat test soon concluded, and each examinee was called one by one to claim their recruitment offers, if any. William felt Patry’s anticipation build, waiting for Luck’s number to be called. Number 75 was accepted into the Silver Eagles. Number 76, no offers. Number 77…

Luck stood before them, smiling like a little kid. Nobody’s hand rose.

“Quelle surprise,” Gueldre Poizot muttered, elbowing the Coral Peacocks captain, who had dozed off beside him. “That kid’s a psycho. You couldn’t pay me enough to put up with him.”

William’s fingers twitched. If no one else was going to…

Patry took control to stare at Charlotte Roselei out of the corner of their eyes.

 _Captain Roselei?_ William balked. _Really, Patry?_

Right before the announcer could say there were no offers, Yami Sukehiro put up a hand.

“Number 77, the Black Bulls!”

William was relieved. Patry seemed to be, too, albeit less so.

 _We can keep an eye out_ , William thought. _But I know Yami. He’ll be in good hands_.

Patry finally tore their eyes away from Charlotte, catching Yami’s attention instead. Yami raised an eyebrow.

It was Patry who ended up sending the captain of the Black Bulls an approving nod.

* * *

A year later, William was just finishing up dinner with Yami when Patry sputtered awake.

 _Drowa?!_ Patry turned their attention to one of Yami’s knights, a teenager whose hair covered one eye. The young Black Bull sat alone in a corner, muttering to himself over a photograph.

 _I should have recognized him during the last exam,_ Patry thought, fuming. _William._

 _I’m on it_ , William thought. He smiled at Yami. “I didn’t realize you’d recruited someone new this year.”

“Hm? Oh, yeah.” Yami lit a cigarette. “Yeah, I caught him breaking out of jail, so I gave him a job.”

Patry was speechless.

“That’s just like you, Yami,” William said, “always stumbling into people’s lives at the perfect moment.”

“Something like that,” Yami said, puffing out some smoke. Behind him, one of Yami’s other recruits, a woman who’d had far too much to drink, cackled with laughter.

 _Ask him to—_ William cut Patry off by standing up, screeching his chair across the hardwood floor.

“It was nice seeing you, Yami,” William said.

“Likewise.” Yami held up one hand in a lazy wave, and William exited the restaurant with a heavy stride. Patry’s building anger made it difficult not to stomp out the door.

 _What was that_. Patry’s tone made it more of a demand than a question.

 _It would be too suspicious of me to ask an ex-convict to transfer to my squad. There would be questions,_ William thought. _Besides, Yami has that lightning user, too. They’ll be okay._

 _Rufel was one thing, but Drowa should absolutely be with us,_ Patry seethed. _Drowa is important. I have no idea how he ended up in prison, of all places, but—_

 _You’re getting so close, Patry._ William walked with conviction. _I won’t let you ruin your dream with a rash mistake._

Their boiling blood tapered down into a simmer. _…You’re right_.

Expecting more of an argument, William nearly tripped over a loose chunk of cobblestone. _Yes. I am_.

* * *

“And this is Magic Flower Guidepost.” Mimosa Vermillion smiled as she crouched down next to the large blossom she materialized from mana. “I can see all sorts of things about my surroundings with this spell. See, here we are.”

Two glittering lights stayed suspended inside the confines of a small, rounded room, a miniature version of the office they were in. She concentrated, and the spell built, showing the floors above and below, more twinkling lights representing other Golden Dawn members going about their business.

“I’m still getting used to it, since I only just received my grimoire.” The girl released all the tension her concentration had accumulated, and her flower guidepost dematerialized. “However, I believe that with dedicated training, I can increase its power beyond the building I’m in. So… that’s it!”

Mimosa bowed abruptly, her long, ginger hair falling over her shoulders. William smiled, and waited for her to stand straight. She did so, fidgeting her hands.

So far, all the Golden Dawn members had been endorsed by Patry. Patry’s judgements were impeccable, and even the ones lacking confidence or skill at first had quickly proven themselves worthy of their unique magic. It was mostly a formality at this point; William didn’t need Patry’s opinion to see that Mimosa was a promising healer and support unit. Still, Patry was his dear friend, so he asked.

_What do you think, Patry?_

Patry took one second to look at Mimosa before recoiling.

_No._

William nodded at her, and pretended he needed to consult Langris about something so if Mimosa could just sit down for a moment, that would be great. Mimosa nodded quickly, seating herself while trying to hide the shake that knocked her knees together.

William shut the door behind him and leaned against it.

_Patry._

_The answer is no. You should know why._

William took a breath.

 _She’s royalty. And her face is—_ William felt the flinch again.

 _But her magic is completely different._ William palmed the doorknob.

 _I have a theory…_ Patry’s inner voice seemed to become youthful again, but not from excitement. It was the kind of young, naïve tone a student would take when asking their teacher a question.

_Go on, Patry._

_That woman— He— One of the victims. Died before being born. Before we ever knew what magic they would receive._

William frowned for a moment. Patry’s soul let out an exasperated sigh and shoved the image of a heavily pregnant princess to the front of their minds.

 _Oh, I see_. William blinked.

 _So that’s why._ Patry’s tone returned to normal. _I don’t care how gifted she is. I want nothing to do with them._

 _Patry…_ William wanted to massage his temple, but he couldn’t through his mask. _If your theory is correct, that would make her Licht’s child too, wouldn’t it?_

Patry’s soul was very practiced at guarding one particular, painful, venomous thought, but William still felt the tiniest tinge of jealousy. _True._

_Then… wouldn’t Licht want—?_

_Don’t you dare try to tell me you know what he’d want better than me._ Patry’s voice was like knives behind William’s eyes. He felt them water.

 _Then listen to what I want._ William felt his heart beat faster. _The Golden Dawn are my magic knights, too. Her plant magic and my World Tree magic are very compatible, and I know she’d thrive better here than in any other squad. It would be foolish to turn away someone so young and skilled._

The sting behind his eyes stayed, stuck in the front of his brain. William took a breath.

_Patry. Please._

The sting faded, softening into a dull throb.

 _…All right_ , Patry thought, and for once, William couldn’t read the emotion behind it.

_You can have this one._

* * *

Yuno had no last name, no background, and no recognizable face or voice. His magic was similar to _hers_ , and they both knew it. Yuno wasn’t a noble, but a peasant from Hage, in the forsaken realm. Patry’s realm. The elves’ realm.

Yuno’s grimoire had four leaves, and that was the one thing Patry needed to seal the deal.

 _I knew it!_ Patry’s thoughts were frantic, barely-formed words. _It wasn’t her after all. A four leaf clover. No child of his would settle for less._

Yuno finished the general practice round by felling every remaining target. William agreed, with a bit of a stunned acknowledgment, that Yuno’s magical ability was far beyond what Mimosa had displayed back in his office. _Let’s hope he takes our offer over the competition._ William rose from his seat to explain the rules of the combat test to the examinees.

 _Have you not cultivated a reputation for having only the best magic knights?_ Patry’s voice was silky. _He’ll pick us._

William returned to his seat after the explanation, making sure to sit up straighter. _Anyone else catch your eye?_

 _Not in a good way,_ Patry thought. He leaned forward, resting their chin on their hand. The combat test was about to start, and first up was an examinee who used bronze magic versus a peasant who had yet to show any magical ability whatsoever. _That little lamb is being led to slaughter._

The bronze magic user led with a showoff-y defensive spell that covered him from all sides. The magicless peasant brought out his grimoire, a sad, blackened tome that looked almost as shabby as he did.

Patry tensed. _What—_

With a speed faster than any other examinee, the little lamb pulled a sword out of his grimoire and shattered the bronze shield in an instant. His opponent didn’t rise.

 _That grimoire_. Patry stared at it. Five leaves.

William said nothing. He heard Yami chuckle nearby.

 _Is he somebody?_ William asked. The peasant had light hair, like the elves. Maybe—

 _…No._ Patry reached under William’s mask to rub between their eyes. _I don’t know who he is. That grimoire isn’t his, though._

William leaned back. _Do you want to offer—?_

Patry winced as the peasant reacted, loudly, to the magic displayed by the combatants in the next match. And the next. And the next.

 _…I’ll take that grimoire back at some point,_ Patry decided. _But I don’t really want to put up with… that._

 _Okay,_ William agreed. _But Yuno?_

 _Yuno._ Patry nodded.

Once the combat test was over, William and Patry waited. Finally, number 164 was called to stand. Patry raised their hand. Every other captain did, too.

Yuno chose the Golden Dawn. Patry smirked.

**Author's Note:**

> Patry = all the people who couldn't watch the anime because of Asta's voice hahaha rip


End file.
